SunTrust Richmond Marathon & NTELOS 8K Also Climb National Rankings
The Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K (photo: start of 2003 race) has been recognized as the fastest growing race by USA Track & Field in its recently released 2002 rankings of the top 100 running races in the United States. Based on the number of finishers, the race's growth from 3,848 to 5,360 from 2001 to 2002 made it the largest percentage growth of any race in the top 100. The data was compiled by USA Track & Field's Road Running Information Center.

Overall, the 2002 Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K was eighth largest race of its distance in the country in only its third year of existence, up from seventeenth the year before. The race is expected to move farther up the list when the 2003 rankings are released next August. The March 29, 2003 edition of the race saw 7,469 finishers, plus as many as 1,000 walkers who chose not wear their timing chips and, therefore, are not considered official finishers. Registration for the 2004 Ukrop's Monument Avenue opens on December 26 and will have a limit of 12,500 registrants.

Two other Sports Backers-organized races also continue to move up in the rankings. The 2002 SunTrust Richmond Marathon, with 2,563 finishers, was the 22nd largest 26.2-mile race in the country. That is up nine spaces from 2001, when the SunTrust Richmond Marathon ranked 31st with 1,899 finishers. The 2003 SunTrust Richmond Marathon will take place on Saturday, November 15, when another record-size field is expected.

The marathon's companion race, the NTELOS 8K, was the ninth largest 8K in the country in 2002. The race had 2,377 finishers, up from 2,197 in 2001, when it ranked 13th in the nation. The 2003 race is expected to easily beat last year's numbers with current entries running significantly ahead of last year's pace.

The Richmond Sports Backers have been organizing races since taking over the Richmond Marathon in 1998. The mission of the Sports Backers is to "Drive economic development by hosting significant sporting events and improving related athletic facilities." For more information, please contact Scott Schricker at (804) 285-9495.